Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, has launched himself and three other crew members into space on the maiden flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard.
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, launched himself and three other crew members into space on the maiden flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard early Tuesday morning.
The crew returned to earth safely after the nearly 11 minute flight into space.
Upon return, Bezos could reportedly be heard saying it was "the best day ever," according to ABC News.
On board the flight was Bezos' brother Mark, as well as 82-year-old Wally Funk, a pioneering female aviator, and 18-year-old physics student Oliver Daemen, which mark the youngest and oldest people to fly into space, according to NPR.
Daemon received a seat on the flight after the winner of the anonymous auction had to postpone due to a scheduling conflict. His father, CEO of Somerset Capital Partners, paid for his seat.
Daemon could reportedly be heard saying "it was so amazing, it was so amazing" upon return to earth, ABC News wrote.
While in space, one of the crew members could be heard saying "you have a very happy crew up here, I want you to know," according to ABC News.
Bezos planned to fly deeper into space than Richard Branson, who launched into space as well earlier this month. The Virgin Galactic flight reached an altitude of 282,000 feet, while the Blue Origin flight traveled past the Karman Line at nearly 330,000 feet, which is the internationally recognized boundary of space.
The flight took place on the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 flight in which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon for the first time in history.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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